Wow, I expected a lot better from the MMM community on this issue. What we get is a majority whining that it's unfair that they have to pay for breaking traffic law and then conniving to get out of their fines. Then mpbaker cites a FHWA study that states there are modest economic benefits in the increase of rear-end vs. right-angle crashes from RLCs pretending it's an anti-RLC conclusion. While stating that most crashes and even moreso fatal crashes are not RTOR, they disproportionately affect bikes and pedestrians.
I find it somewhat amusing that almost all times this happened the person who received the violation admits to the violation but still thinks they are right to fight not only their ticket but the enforcement system. If the yellow light is too short then remove the system instead of making sure the light conforms to FHWA or state guidance. We live in a country where there are more than 30,000 traffic fatalities a year. It's not that right light cameras are the answer to traffic safety but they're one of the things the northern European countries have used in their safety campaigns. AASHTO, FHWA, TRB synthesis, a recent publication in the Journal of Safety Research, etc. all show positive benefits of automated red light enforcement. Attempting to deny this because it suits your narrative of victimhood is tantamount to climate denialism.
How bout this for an argument?
Controlled studies show the average driver reaction time to a light turning green-> yellow is 2.3 seconds. Missouri law states yellow lights need to be 3-6 seconds in length. At 45 mph, a car travels between 198 and 396 feet during the yellow light time window. Missouri state law requires vehicles to have the capability of decelerating at 14.66 feet/second
Taking conservative measures, we'll go with 396 feet and 6 seconds. Assuming the AVERAGE (remember, some people are naturally worse than average) reaction time, a driver who his braking will hit the brakes 2.3 seconds later, 244.2 feet from the line. At the state required 14.66 feet/second^2 deceleration, the driver will take 4.5 seconds to stop, and will stop in 148 feet, a full 96.2 feet from the line. That should be enough, except 6 seconds i the MAXIMUM yellow light time.
3 seconds is the MINIMUM. In cases where the minimum is used, a driver caught in the 198-396 foot zone will find himself a full 99.8 feet over the line, provided he has braked at a rate required by the state.
So, essentially, we have a red light camera system that has been set up to enforce vehicular requirements stronger than those of the state. Missouri doesn't release the individual traffic light timings, so I can't provide hard data for a specific intersection, but it's certainly possible municipalities are enforcing a law NOT on the books.